The Best of Me
by Mrs.DamonS
Summary: Edward Cullen, the boy from the right side of the tracks, he's smart and has his future planned out. Bella Swan is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, her parents were drug addicts who overdosed when she was 10, when Edward goes out of his way for groceries he meets Bella. He is instantly drawn to this girl who is so different than him. Is she drawn to him? AH
1. Chapter 1

Isn't it funny how we choose little memories to stick out more than others? For example, I remember my fifth birthday party, my little sister completely ruined it by coming three weeks earlier than expected. I remember when I first learned to ride a bike, then when I taught my sister to ride the same bike. My favorite memory? When I was eight, I saw a little girl sitting on a bench watching me and my mom with… I couldn't tell you what she was thinking, she wasn't jealous, she wasn't envious, but she wanted to be with us. I remember how dirty her clothes were, how black her feet were from being barefoot in the dirt. I remember looking up at my mom, she was busy paying for our ice cream, so I went and sat down next to the little girl and handed her my ice cream. She stared at me with her big brown eyes, not sure if she should accept the ice cream being offered to her. I was just about tosay something to her when my mom came over to me.

"Edward, honey, don't wander off from me," my mom had said, her tone filled with concern. "Come on, let's go home." As I walked away with my mom, I looked back at the little girl. What about her? Where were her parents? She couldn't have been any older than five. She continued to stare at me as I walked away, her brown tangled hair blew as much as it could with the wind. The sad look in her eyes was a look I knew would haunt me for the rest of my days.

As I grew older, more things earned memories, such as me learning to drive a car with my dad. I also continued to return to the park bench; hoping to find that girl again. I never did though, she never sat on the bench when I was there. However, when I turned 17, I went to get milk at a mini mart store fifteen minutes out of my way. Why go fifteen minutes out of my way when there was one down the street from my house? Some might call me lucky, some might say it's fate, destiny, or whatever. I don't really care what you call it, because the truth is, when I walked into the mini mart that day I met the woman who was the very best of me.


	2. Chapter 2

Oops! Forgot the disclaimer, here it is! I own nothing, characters belong to Stephenie Meyers.

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A/N: So, in the prologue I mentioned that Edward went to get milk for _his_ 17th birthday, however for the sake of the plot that I have planned. I changed that fact. Alice therefore is turning 17 in this first chapter. Sorry guys for that little mess up! Enjoy the story!

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Chapter 1

Have you ever looked at the things around you, the people around you, and think about how much more you have than others? If not, you really should! I try to do it every day, I try to be thankful for what I have every day, I'm always amazed at how much I have. I have two loving parents who have done nothing but encourage me to go after what I've always wanted, I have an older sister, Rose, who is running her own fashion company in New York. Rose is 25 and engaged to a man we have only seen a couple of times, Emmett apparently travels quite a bit as he works on finding the best wines for the very rich. Then, there is my younger sister, Alice, she is so much like our mom. Alice is kind, she looks out for the people who get bullied at school even though she is only a sophomore herself. Everyone in our family knows that Alice has a great future ahead of her, she's different than Rose.

Than there's me… I'm different from Rose, I'm even a little different than Alice, though not entirely. Alice and I both want to help, but my mind always wants to help that little girl that I saw in the park. I knew that seeing her again was probably out of the question, how often would we see one person we barely knew?

"What are you thinking about so hard?" I turned from my mirror and gave my younger sister a smile. She walked towards me and quickly adjusted my tie to make it look more presentable.

"Just helping the world, ya know just the normal stuff." I laughed and turned back to the mirror and tousled my hair a little bit. Turning back to her, I placed a kiss on her forehead, "Happy birthday sis."

"Thank you," Alice said and made herself comfy on my bed. "I wish mom and dad wouldn't throw this extravagant party. I'd much rather it be just you, me, Rose, and Jasper…"

Alice added that last name a little fast, I furrowed my brows as I stared at her. "Who is Jasper?"

"Huh?" I gave her a knowing look, she knew exactly what I had asked. "Oh… Uh… just this boy…"

"How old is this boy?"

"Ed, you're not dad. Dad already has met Jasper and has given his approval," Alice said and quickly walked out of the room. No, I'm not dad, I'm worse than dad. I'm her old brother, it's my job to protect her and harass any boy she shows interest in. Giving myself one last look in the mirror, I walked down to the crowded foyer.

Our father worked as a doctor, our mother worked as an interior designer for only the very rich and famous. Therefore, our family was well off, us kids wanted nothing growing up. I went off to the corner where the younger people were huddled talking amongst themselves. Even then, I didn't make myself known by entering the conversation immediately, I stood on the sidelines and quietly listened while I sipped at my water.

"Eddie! I didn't even hear you come over, you look so handsome!" Tanya remarked placing a kiss on my cheek and one of her hands on my shoulder. Tanya was one of my oldest friends, I knew how she felt about me, but I couldn't return the feelings.

"Tanya, always a pleasure," I replied and made my way into the huddle. My eyes landed on a beaming Alice standing in a vacant room with a young man a little older than her. "Excuse me, please."

Tanya followed my gaze and grabbed my hand. "Edward, she's happy, please don't ruin this for her."

"I'm not, I just intend to introduce myself as her older brother," I said and my way over to the happy couple. Alice saw me coming and shot me a look saying that she wished I would turn and walk away.

"Edward, what are you doing?" Alice groaned.

"Just coming to introduce myself," I turned to the man in front of my sister, his hands resting on her arms. "You must be Jasper."

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you. Alice has told me quite a bit about you," Jasper said holding his hand out. He's polite, I had to give him that.

Shaking his hand, I smiled, "I wish I could say the same. Sadly, today was the first I'd heard your name. How long have you and my sister been together?"

"Just a couple of weeks," Alice replied quickly cutting Jasper off from whatever he was planning to say. "I think mom needs you in the kitchen, why don't you go help her?"

"But, I'm just getting to know Jasper here," I said and pulled him away from Alice. "Listen, how old are you?"

"17."

"Alice is my little sister, I love her dearly, therefore I will hurt anyone who hurts her. Understand… Jazz?" I gave him a chilling smile and squeezed his shoulder gently. Jasper gulped and nodded furiously.

"Edward!" I turned towards the door and saw Rose standing there, a glass of champagne in her hands. "Mom needs you, come please!"

"I'll see you two crazy kids in a bit," I said and before walking out turned back to see Alice already comforting Jasper and taking his hands. "Jasper, remember our conversation."

Rose immediately glared at me when I was out of the room completely. She was the spitting image of our mother, but she was way scarier. "Seriously? Did you have to scare him like that?"

"What? I'm her older sibling, it's my job to protect her. Do you not remember how you acted when I brought Jane home?"

"Jane was insane, I acted rightfully, Jasper is nice and is good to Alice." She wasn't lying when she said Jane had been insane. Jane was my first girlfriend, we were freshmen in high school and had instantly been attracted to one another. Though, I think it was more for looks than personality, she had turned out to be controlling and clingy. She messaged me every now and then just to check up, but I hadn't seen her since graduation.

"Were you being serious when you said mom needed me?"

"Yes, she ran out of milk, apparently, she needs some for the cake or something. Plus, we're out of ice. So, can you run to the store to get some really fast?"

"Why can't you go?" I asked although I was already grabbing my keys and coat.

"Emmett is here…"

"What? The great Emmett Hale makes his appearance? Can I take a picture?" I was probably being a little more rude than necessary, but when I said we hardly ever saw him I was being serious.

"You're funny. Now, go!" Rose said as she pushed me out the door. Truth being, I was glad to be out of the busy house. Alice had been right when she said she wished it hadn't been so extravagant. The house being filled with mostly our parent's friends and their children. No one that we knew.

"I'm coming with you!" I looked over and saw that Tanya had jumped in the passenger seat. "I'm getting a headache from being in there."

"I'm just running to the store," I informed her.

"Anything is better than in there," Tanya said and began rubbing her temples. "They aren't even playing music that we like, they're playing something classical. Alice turned 17 and they are playing classical music. Your parents are weird."

I shrugged my shoulders and put the car in reverse. "They aren't weird, they just don't really know how to throw a 17-year-old a party. After all, Rose spent her 17th birthday in New York because she was interning. I was going through my rebellious phase and spent my birthday out with my friends rather than my family."

"Do you regret that?" Tanya asked staring at me.

"I do," I admitted. "I regret a lot of things I did when I was a teenager, that being one of them."

We drove the rest of the way in mostly silence, though Tanya did ask why I drove past the convenience store closest to my house, I simply shrugged my shoulders and continued driving. Finally stopping in front of a convenience store in the worst part of town. Tanya pulled her coat closer to her, trying her best to ignore the stares she was getting from the men outside the store.

"Why don't you wait in the car?" I asked suddenly feeling like this was a very bad idea. Tanya shook her hand and grabbed my arm, holding me close to her. We walked in and received gazes from everyone inside. As we walked to where the milk was, I heard a couple of guys whispering before they came up to us.

"Are you two lost?" One of them asked pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

"Isn't it against the law to smoke in a building?" Tanya asked quietly, still clinging to my arm. The man blew smoke into our faces, Tanya coughed and buried her face in my shoulder.

"Aw, sweetheart, that's what makes it fun," he made a motion to grab her hand but I smacked it before he could touch her. "Now, that is not fun. Don't you like to share?"

"Newton, don't you have anything better to do than terrorize people?" All eyes turned to the voice coming from beside us. My heart leapt in my chest, it was her, I would recognize those brown eyes anywhere.

"Swan, always a pleasure," The man said turning his attention to the newcomer. "Where's Emily?"

"Safe, safe from you and your advances. Leave, Mike, now." The woman practically growled.

"Bella, you're no fun, what happened to you?" Mike gave us all one last look before walking away muttering a series of curses aimed for Bella.

"Thanks," Tanya muttered finally letting go of my arm to turn to Bella.

"You're welcome," Bella said then looked us over, "Are you two lost?"

"Hardly, this guy just drove us here for no reason. Edward, let's go!" Tanya said grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the store. "We'll stop at the other store and get the milk. I don't want to be here any longer."

Putting the keys in the ignition, I started the vehicle and saw Bella walk out. She looked the same as I remembered, well at least her eyes did. Obviously she was older, but there was still the clear signs that she had it worse than I could ever have it. Her eyes scanned the area around her before landing on my Lincoln, I saw that look in her eyes again. She desired something that she knew she could never have, it was the look she had had when I saw her in the park, I now could put a name on it.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing, characters belong to Stephenie Meyers.

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Chapter 2

B POV

"Where's Emily?" Mike asked giving me a dirty smile, his white t-shirt already had a red stain on it, someone's blood no doubt.

"Safe. Safe from you and your advances. Leave, Mike, now." I despised Mike Newton with every fiber of my being. He had degraded me in a way no woman should ever be degraded. I had been an object to him, he had done what he wanted to me and threw me away.

"Bella," he tsked, "You're no fun. What happened to you?"

"You happened to me." I thought bitterly. Mike looked me up and down before walking out, muttering unkind things about me. When he was gone, I turned to the outsiders, they stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Thanks," the woman mumbled wearing a pale pink came dress with a tan leader jacket hugging her body tightly. Her blonde hair was beginning to come out of the bun it had been secured in. She glanced at the man beside her, he was dressed in a black suit with a tie, he looked so amazing in it. His eyes, his eyes were what took my breath away, they were so green and so familiar. How was that possible?

Shaking off the effect his eyes had on me, I turned my attention to the woman. "Are you two lost?"

The woman scoffed and looked at the man before looking back at me. "Hardly! This guy drove us here for no reason. Edward, let's go!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him out, saying they would get what they needed someone else.

Shaking my head, I grabbed a gallon of milk, a snickers bar, and some bread before going up to the counter to pay. Seth, 17-year-old Seth, was working the counter. Seth was such a bright, sweet boy, he deserved more than what Forks was giving him. Granted Forks wasn't a bad town, just the part we lived in.

"Hello, Miss Bella!" I always smiled when he called me 'Miss. Bella', I had told him numerous times to call me 'Bella', but he continued his way. He picked up the Snickers bar and smiled, "this for Emily?"

"How did you know?" I laughed. "How is Leah?"

"She's good, she appreciates you getting her that job. I appreciate it too, ever since our dad had his accident it's been tough." Leah was Seth's 25-year-old sister, she worked as a baby sitter, getting a job wherever she could. "Oh! She told me to tell you that she'll be at your house at 5 tonight."

"Great!" I said and watched as he put the milk in, the last item. "How much do I owe you?"

"7.39," Seth said and took my 10 from my hand. It was the last 10 I had for the week, we would have to last on bread until Monday; it wouldn't be the first time. Seth must have known what I was thinking, "Ya know, I can talk to my boss and see if he's hiring? I know I would like some help."

"Thanks, but I don't know if I can take care of Emily and swing two jobs." I grabbed the bags off the counter and walked out the door. I scanned the area around me to make sure Mike Newton was out of sight, I didn't have the energy to put up with him right now. My eyes landed on a black Lincoln still sitting in the parking lot. It didn't belong here, it stuck out as much as its owner had. I was jealous of the owner, I was jealous that he could drive away from this part of town. I was jealous that Emily would never get that option from me. Shaking my head, shaking away the jealousy, I pulled the grocery bag up so it rested more on my shoulder and began my mile walk home.

My name's Bella Swan, I am alone, I have no one in this world that I can truly depend on. Yes, I have a couple of good friends, I trust them to watch my daughter while I'm working or while I'm getting groceries. However, I have no parents, I haven't had parents since I was 10 and I had been perfectly fine raising myself for 5 years. However, when I was 15, well Mike happened. I thought he had cared for me, I thought he wanted to take care of me, I was young and I was naïve. At 16, I became responsible for someone else, for this tiny little baby and everything changed. I remember breaking down crying because I was overwhelmed with feelings, how could I take care of this baby if I hadn't even been able to protect myself? Somehow, for the past 3 years, I had done just fine at taking care of Emily. I had to break down, I had to admit that I needed help from my neighbor and his family. I guess, they were the closest thing I had to a family.

-0-0-0-0-

"Momma!" I was tired from the walk, but the sound of Emily's voice always brought a smile to my face. Just as I closed the door, the little girl came running around the corner with her brown curls bouncing with every step.

"Hey, sweets," I said touching her head and walking around her. Jacob was on the couch engrossed with a coloring page. "Whatcha got there buddy?"

"Hey, Bells, I didn't even hear you come in!" Jake remarked getting up quickly and shutting the book. I couldn't help but smile at his embarrassment. "Uh… She really wanted me to finish this coloring page, it's Sofia the first, you know how it's all the rage with these kids!"

"Yeah," I said unconvinced, Jake was just a big kid himself. I plopped down on the couch next to him, Emily quickly followed my lead and wedged herself in between us. "Thanks for watching her, Leah's going to come tonight and watch her for my shift."

"Oh, really?" I quickly noticed his mood brighten when I mentioned Leah's name. "I mean, I can watch her, it's fine."

"Jake," I began, rubbing my daughter's arm while giving Jake a look, "do you have feelings for Leah?"

Jake scoffed, "What? That's insane! Leah…. Leah's stubborn, she's opinionated, I'm surprised you let Emily around her."

"I let her around you," I fired back getting up to put the items away. Finding the Snickers bar, I smiled as I thought about how happy Emily would be when she saw this. Though, at this moment, it was a little melted so I put it in the fridge and would ask Leah to give it to her. "Ya know, if you have feelings for Leah, you should go for it. I mean, she won't be around much longer."

"What?"

"She's moving to Cali, she's smart and is getting far away from Forks," I said feeling the jealousy come back up.

Jake obviously heard the resentment in my voice, I heard him get off the couch and come behind me. "Bella, you can leave too. You can leave and start somewhere new."

"I can't!" I cried as I turned around. "Don't you see that? Mike won't let me leave, he wants to keep me close. You know who his dad is and what he can do. As long as Mike is here, I can't leave."

"Bells," Jake said softly and pulled me into his arms, sobbing. Okay, so there was one person I could count on: Jacob Black.

E POV

The party was winding down by the time we arrived back, I had driven slowly and simply thought about her. That wasn't how I was hoping to meet her, that wasn't how I had planned on it going. I was stupid and hadn't even introduced myself, I mean what could I have said? Hey, remember that boy that gave you an ice cream cone when you were little? No? Okay, never mind then.

"Aren't you coming in?" Tanya asked staring through the passenger side window, we must have been parked outside the house for at least five minutes. "Alice and your mom are probably already mad we were gone for so long."

"I'll go inside in a minute."

"Edward, where are you right now?" She knew me so well, but she didn't know me at all. With a sigh, she got back in the car and turned to me. "Back at the store? With that girl? I saw the way you looked at her. It's how…"

I knew what she was going to say, it's how she looked at me, I felt bad for her and often wished that I could feel something for her. It would be simple, being with Tanya would be simple, but it wouldn't be right. "Tanya…"

"How do you know her?"

"I don't… Not really." She gave me a look to continue, "When I was 8, I saw this little girl sitting on a park bench. My mom was paying for the ice cream that I had been eating, I walked away and went to sit with her. Without a moment's thought, I gave her my ice cream and she devoured it. She couldn't have been older than five at the time. She has to be 18 or 19 now, and…"

"That was her? That was that little girl?" Tanya said finishing my thoughts, I simply nodded. "Ed… she's from a different world completely. Did you not see how that part of town looks?"

Before I could say anything, an angry Rose began banging on my car window. "Get inside! Mom's been worried sick about you!"

"We're coming," I mumbled getting out of the car. "Calm down."

"Where have you been? You've been gone for 45 minutes!" Rose yelled slapping me over the head.

"It was my fault!" Tanya quickly said. "I asked to go to a different store, so we went to the store on the other side of the hospital."

"Seriously?"

"Tanya," I began but Tanya shook her head.

"Let's get inside," Rose said a little calmer. "I'm just glad you're safe. We were about to send a search party out."

Walking inside, I saw how worried everyone had been. I had been stupid to drive so far away, I hadn't thought before doing it. Mom quickly threw her arms around me, her eyes were puffy and red indicating that I had made her cry. Alice was next, mumbling that I was an idiot and then quickly saying I had ruined her party. I'm not sure if she was mad at that or a little grateful. This… This was what I meant, all these people had been so worried about me. Who was worried about Bella?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing, characters belong to Stephenie Meyers.

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Chapter 3

B POV

"Bye have a good night!" I called waving out to the last customer to leave the diner. I sighed as I walked over to the table they had occupied and began cleaning it.

"Bella, why don't you go ahead and go, you already stayed later than scheduled tonight," Sam said taking the towel from my hand. Sam was in his late thirties, he was a fair and kind boss, for example letting me leave even though I was supposed to stay and help clean up. "If you leave now you could probably tuck Emily in and read her a bedtime story."

I laughed as I untied my apron. "Maybe. I can stay, I mean we didn't close on time tonight so I know it's going to take a little bit to close."

"No, go on home." Sam repeated waving me off. I gave him a smile and began packing up my things when my phone started going off, Leah was calling me.

"Hey, Leah, I'm on my way home now."

"Bella! Bella! You have to hurry! Mike was here, Jake scared him off but Emily…" That was all I needed, I ran out of the diner and ran home as quickly as I could. My body was already tired from my 10-hour shift, but it was screaming now from my running.

I heard her cries as soon as I unlocked the gate, what had happened? Running inside, I found her on the floor, blood coming out of her arm. "What happened?"

"Mike… Mike came… He was drunk! He…" I didn't need to hear anymore. Grabbing a towel, I wrapped her arm in it and picked her up.

"Bella, you can't carry her to the hospital!" Leah called after me but I was already gone. The hospital wasn't far, in fact it was just two blocks away from my house. I wasn't sure if I had done that on purpose, knowing this day would come; the day Mike attacked Emily.

"Please! I need help!" I screamed clutching my baby girl to my chest, her screams killed me. I was receiving stares but no one had yet to step up to help me. I finally found a nurse and begged her to help me.  
"Okay, ma'am, I need you to fill these forms out," she said calmly to which I threw the forms out of my way.

"My daughter is hurt! Can't you hear her cry? Get me a doctor!"

"Ma'am, I need you to calm down," she said getting another set of forms for me to fill out.

"Mommy," Emily whined into my shoulder, burying her face even further into my hair.

"Please," I said in a calmer tone, "Please, my daughter is hurt and she's scared, I need to see a doctor."

"Ma'am, it'll be a minute before the doctor can see you, just sit down and fill out these forms while you wait." She turned away before I could argue anymore. With a sigh, I walked over to the set of chairs in the waiting room and put Emily down.

"Mommy, it hurts," she said holding her arm up again. I ran my hand down the side of her head and looked around for some tissues or anything to stop the bleeding for a minute. My eyes spotted a little box of tissues, walking over I grabbed it and came back to her.

"Mommy is so proud of you," I said taking the wet towel off of her arm and began putting the tissues around the cut. "You are being such a big girl. Mommy needs you to do one more thing for her, okay? I want you to hold this on your arm, just like this." Emily did just as I asked as I began working on the forms handed to me. They asked for insurance, I didn't have insurance, I wasn't even sure how I was going to be able to afford this.

"Hey Angela, can you tell our dad we're here?" Looking up, I saw him. The man that drove a black Lincoln and had piercing green eyes: Edward.

"Yes, certainly Mr. Cullen," she told him and walked away. Cullen… Looking at the logo on the wall, I realized who he was. His father was Carlisle Cullen, he owned the hospital I was sitting in right now. Carlisle Cullen had a reputation for doing good and helping others. I watched as he walked back to a girl, I was guessing it was his sister by the way he acted around her.

"Mommy!" Emily whined breaking my thoughts.

"I know sweetie," I said getting up and walking back up to the counter. "Look, I don't have insurance, I don't an address that is set up yet…" Okay, that last part was a lie, but I didn't want to put something down that could be traced even though Mike already knew where I lived.

"Ma'am, there's a free clinic a little bit down the way, I would suggest you go there then."

I was just about to suggest a place she could go when he walked up. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Mr. Cullen, I was just letting her know that we can't treat her…"

"My daughter!" I said catching both him a little off guard. Yeah, not many people expected me to have a kid, join the club. I certainly didn't plan to have a child at 16.

"Look, you know my father, just tell him it's for me and he'll be down as soon as he can." Edward told the woman, Angela. "For now, give me that first aid kit behind you."

It was amazing how being the son of the boss can give you so much respect, I would never have that. Edward looked at me, waiting for me to take him to Emily. "Oh…"

"Where's the patient?" Edward said with a small smile, I turned and walked toward Emily. Her cheeks were red and her nose was beginning to run from all that she had cried. Edward sat next to her slowly. "Hi, you're a cutie. What's your name?"

"Emily," she told him quietly. I sat next to her and began rubbing her back.

"Well, I'm Edward. Can I take a look at your arm?" She looked at me, I nodded telling her it was okay, slowly she raised her arm up. Edward uncovered the wound and looked at me. "Well, seems like you got a pretty nasty cut. What happened?"

"I fell…" she lied.

Edward looked at me, he didn't believe her. He looked back at her and continued talking with her while I prayed he wouldn't ask any more about it. "I imagine it hurt. You know what helped me when I was little? I would imagine I got hurt in a brave battle against a dragon, it made me feel like a hero. So, what do you want to imagine?"

"Sofia the first," Edward looked at me.

"She's a princess," I explained. "Em, why don't you tell him about Sofia?"

"Sofia… Uh… she's this girl who um… her mommy marries the king and she 'comes a princess!" Emily said and continued telling him about Sofia. I leaned back in my seat and listened as Emily went on and on about Sofia and her friends. She wasn't that hurt, it was a cut and nothing more. I knew it had hurt her more, but I was glad that he hadn't hurt her anymore.

"That sounds great," I heard Edward tell her, he looked up at me. "She'll probably need a couple of stitches but the bleeding has stopped for right now, I got some medicine on it so it'll be fine until my dad can see her. He shouldn't be too much longer. I didn't catch your name."

"Bella, and thank you."

"You're welcome," he said getting up and walking over to join his sister who had been watching us like crazy. He turned on his heel and looked at Emily. "Oh, Emily, I expect to see that Sofia drawing here soon."

When he was far enough away, I looked at Emily, "What Sofia drawing?"

"I gonna draw Sofia for him!" Emily told me with a bright smile on her face. I smiled down at her as she began humming the theme song to Sofia the first. This girl made my day, you couldn't tell five minutes ago that she had been crying.

After about 30 minutes, Carlisle Cullen came out and introduced himself to me and Emily. "I'm sorry I took so long! I had this patient and… Anyway! Who is the patient? It couldn't be this smiling girl right here."

"Hey pops," Edward said walking over. "I'm a little rusty but I bandaged her arm and put some medicine on it. I thought it would probably need a couple of stitches."

Carlisle unbandaged Emily's arm and nodded, he had a look of pride in his gentle grey-blue eyes, that was a look I had never had the pleasure of seeing before. "You're right. You know there's still a spot for you here at the hospital."

"You know I'm still not interested," Edward laughed and brought his eyes to me. "Yeah, she's a trooper, Emily is too."

"Ha ha, very funny!" I laughed

"Alrighty, let's go back and get this taken care of." I nodded and followed Carlisle back to an exam room. Emily buried her head in my shoulder, but I could feel the smile on her face. When we got to a room, I put her down on the table and gave her a smile. Carlisle began to work on her arm, giving me the same look that Edward had. "So what happened?"

I wanted to confide, I wanted to say that a crazy man had attacked my daughter when I was at work, instead I lied. "She fell off her tire swing, she can be a little clumsy like her mom."

He didn't believe me, he stared at me for a few minutes before turning back to Emily. "Is that what happened, Emily?"

"Yes," she said softly. I was a better liar.

"I need to go get some medicine for this, I'll be right back," Carlisle said making my stomach drop. What was he really doing?

Edward's POV

"Ed! My older brother is in love!" Alice said with a smirk. "Should I interrogate her like you did Jasper?"

"I don't even know her," I defended myself.

"I'm looking for my daughter and wife, Bella and Emily Newton," I looked up and saw a man talking with Angela. He was the same man that Bella had told to leave at the store: Mike.

"I'm sorry, I don't have anyone under that name."

"Try Swan," he said impatiently, he glanced over at me. "Hey, I know you! You were at the store the other day! You know what Bella looks like, is she here?"

"Sorry, can't help you, I don't know who you're talking about." I turned back to Alice and began pulling her away.

"Edward!" Carlisle called walking out, I met him halfway happy to get away from Mike. "I think she's lying. I don't think that little girl fell."

So, she had told him the same story. "I don't either, that's a nasty cut for a fall."

"Agreed, but I don't think she's abusing her own daughter, not with the way she looks at her." Carlisle told me. "Did you want to come back with me and see if we can get anything out of her?"

I nodded and looked behind me, Mike was pacing around like a wild animal in a cage. "That guy is looking for her, I told him that she wasn't here but apparently he doesn't believe me."

"Okay," Carlisle looked at a bored Alice sitting on one of the chairs. "Sorry Al, just a couple of more minutes okay?"

"Hey, I'm binge watching Stranger Things, take your time!" Alice said going back to her phone, apparently, she wasn't so bored. I followed Carlisle back to where Bella and Emily were waiting, Bella looked like a nervous wreck.

"I'm not hurting her!" Bella yelled catching us off guard.

"No one said you were, Bella," I said leaning against a wall and looking at her. "But, that's not a simple cut from a fall. What happened?"

"Bella, we want to help you. But we can't if we don't know what is happening." Carlisle added, Bella looked between us and took a shaky breath.

"Mommy," Emily whispered causing Bella to look down.

"Mike is here. Does it have something to do with him?" I knew it did by the way she reacted when I said his name.

"He's here? Where is he? Is there a back exit?"

"Woah, calm down!" Carlisle said, "He's in the lobby. Edward told him you weren't here, I'm sure he's gone by now."

"You don't know him," Bella said getting Emily off the table and holding her in her arms. "Is there a back way to get out?"

"Yeah," I said reluctantly, I was hoping she would open more than she had. "Go down this hall, straight down this hall, and to the left there will be a door. Do you want me to take you?"

"No, I've got it," she said walking out of the room quickly. I turned to Carlisle and took a deep breath.

"That wasn't much," I said in defeat. "Mike has something to do with it."

"Edward, how do you know who he is?" Busted.

"The night of Alice's party… Tanya and I went to the store to get milk and ice, but we came to this one down here." Carlisle was furious! "I know, it was stupid! That's the first time I saw Bella, the way she acted around him, she was mad and scared of him."

"Ed, you could have been hurt!" Carlisle said.

"I know, it was stupid…"

"You let Tanya take the blame for that!" He continued.

"I know! Dad, trust me, I know. It was stupid and I was about to say something but she cut me off."

"You're the man, you should have spoken up anyway and taken responsibility," Carlisle said then sighed. "Let's go get Alice, I'm sure she's hungry. I know I am."

We began to walk out but a small figure quickly attached itself to my leg. Looking down, I saw Emily in tears. "Emily, where's your mom?"

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A/N: Woo! That is the longest chapter I have ever written! Close to 2500 words, hopefully y'all like it! Many people have asked me about Tanya, she's not in this chapter, but many have voiced their concerns that she's going to cause trouble. Let me say this, she is safe! I want her to represent the girl who is in love with their best friends but knows nothing will ever happen between them. So, for this story, she is simply Edward's closest friend!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing, characters belong to Stephenie Meyers.

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Chapter 4

B POV

Walking down the hall, I felt much better than I had an hour ago. Emily was happy, Emily was animatedly talking about what color Sofia's dress would be. It had to be perfect, it was for her new friend. I had never seen her take to someone so quickly, besides Jake of course. However, Jake had been a part of her life since she was born, he shouldn't even count.

"Mommy, can we stop and get crayons?"

"Honey, you have crayons at home."

"No purple!" She argued stopping and putting her hands on her hips. She got her sassy pants from me. "Sofia the first dress will be purple!"

"Hon, I'm sure you have purple at home," I picked her up to avoid stopping again, I was tired and could only think about going home and sleeping.

"Bella!" Everything inside of me stopped, my pulse picked up, my stomach dropped. Suddenly, I began walking again, faster, it was basically a run. I was aware of Mike's calls to me, I could him pick up his pace as well.

"Mommy?"

"Bella, stop!" How had he caught up to my so fast? Grabbing my arm, he turned me around, I put Emily down, motioning for her to hide behind me. She did as I asked, she knew he was bad news, she didn't know he was her dad or maybe she did. "I want to talk. How's Emily?"

"How do you think she is? What do you want to talk about? You're the reason she's here!"

Holding his hands in front of him, he got a cocky look. "You're right, but I think you were there too."

"That's not what I meant," I was disgusted, that's what he was thinking of. "You need to leave. How did you even get back here?"

"Well, when your daughter is here, they let you by if you keep demanding."

"I don't see your daughter here, I see my daughter. Leave or I will call security." I was lying, security wouldn't come for me. He knew it too.

"You're lying." Slowly, he bent down to get on eye level with Emily. "Hey, sweets, how's your arm." Like a momma bear, I moved so she was out of his sight, she was scared. Her fingers were digging into my legs. Mike gave me a smirk and got back up.

"You know, that outfit does you good…"

"You're disgusting."

"Now, let's put this all behind us… What do you say?" Mike pushed me further against the wall, putting one hand above my head and the other slowly running up my thigh. No… No. I spit in his face and quickly slapped him. He wasn't doing this to me again. Emily knew we were in trouble, I felt her wiggle free from behind me and saw her running. Unfortunately, Mike saw her too and proceeded to run after her. Why did this hall have to be so empty right now? Following him, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He wasn't going to hurt her, he had already hurt her enough. I was smaller and weaker though, he pushed me back against the wall… That was it, all I saw was darkness.

E POV

"Where's your mom?" I asked again picking Emily up. She was a sobbing mess, she buried her face in my shoulder and tightened her grip around my neck. "Um… I'm going to see if I can find Bella. I'll meet you and Alice in the lobby."

"Alright, I need to finish up a few things here." Carlisle said before we went our separate ways. I hadn't walked far when a familiar figure began approaching me.

"Thank you so much for finding her. Bella was really worried." Mike held his hands out, wanting me to hand her to him. "I'll take her off your hands."

"I'd rather hand her to Bella," I said and continued walking. Mike jumped in front of me and gave a small chuckle.

"You know, I'll do it, she went to the restroom and you know how ladies can be in the restroom." Something wasn't right.

"In the short time I have known Bella, I can tell that she doesn't like you. When I told her that you were in the lobby, she was frightened and immediately asked where a back exit was so she wouldn't have to see you." Checkmate. "Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn't call security right now."

Mike began scanning me up and down, he wasn't interested in being friendly anymore. "Fine, fine. I'm leaving. But, give a message to Bella for me, tell her this isn't over. I'll be back." He breezed right past me before I heard his laugh causing me to turn around. "Oh, you should find her down the hall. Probably unconscious."

Without ensuring he was gone, I began to run as fast as I could with Emily in my arms. It wasn't long before I find Bella trying to get up. Putting Emily down, I fell to her side and encouraged her back down. "Hey, hey. Slowly, you don't want to get up too fast."

"Emily… Where's Emily?!"

"She's right here," Emily came to my side and put her tiny hands on my shoulder. "She's fine. He didn't hurt her. You on the other hand, need to come have that looked at. That's a nasty bump."

Bella brushed me off and slowly got up, at least she listened to that. "I'm fine, I've had worse than this. I need to get home."

"He's going to be waiting for you," I followed her as she began to walk out, holding tight to Emily's hand. "He told me to tell you that this isn't over, he'll be back. Bella you aren't safe at your home."

Stopping, she looked at me and I could see how scared she was, her eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "You're right, I'm not safe there. But I don't have anywhere else to go."

My heart dropped, she had such a bad life. Mike was Emily's father, but something told me that it wasn't nice how he was in that part. My life had been perfect, I hadn't wanted for anything. I wanted a car and my father instantly gave that to me. Taking a deep breath, I realized what I had to do. "You do have somewhere else to go. My family owns a small cabin, it's in the middle of the woods so no one will even be able to find you there. Let me take you there."

"Are you for real?" Bella asked giving me a look of amusement. "I appreciate everything you've done for me. Just now, you got rid of Mike, and I appreciate that. But, I don't have the luxury to just be whisked away to the middle of nowhere. I have to work, I have to earn money. I don't have parents to give it to me."

"I'll take care of the food. Please, let me take you there, let me take you somewhere safe. I'll even leave my car so you can get to work. I can bring you food. Whatever. Just, let me help you?"

Bella was having a war inside of her, I could see she wanted to accept for Emily, but she was prideful and wanted to take care of herself. I was happy that the Emily side won out, "Fine."

"Great, do you want to go get your stuff from your house?"

"We don't have anything worth getting," Bella said but was corrected when Emily made a small coughing noise. "Purple crayons. We need to stop and get purple crayons."

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A/N: Shorter than the last chapter, but still an update! This week has been crazy for me guys! I started a new job and today is my first day off in 12 days! That's why I haven't updated sooner! I hope this chapter was worth the wait!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing, characters belong to Stephenie Meyers.

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Chapter 5

"So… What's your story?" I asked Edward as we were on our way to the cabin. Emily was dozing in the back, clutching a purple crayon to her chest. It was as if nothing had happened to her, as if her crazy father hadn't tried to kill us. Edward gave me a quizzical look so I continued, "I mean, why the urge to help the less fortunate?"

Edward rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath, "This is going to sound stupid…"

"Let me guess, you had a dream to help someone?" I clasped my hands in front of me and gave him a small chuckle. "Trust me, buddy, I've heard it all."

"I saw this little girl on a bench when I was little, seeing how little she had and how much she wanted what I had…"

"What happened to her?" Edward turned for a brief second to stare at me, a small smile beginning to grace his face.

"She's doing fine." I gave a content hum and stared out the window. We were well out Forks now, all I saw were trees, trees, and more trees. He did say this was in the middle of nowhere.

"So, family?"

"Yes, I have them. As most people do…" He realized what he had said and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm not belittling what you have been through."

"It's fine! Most people do have a family, and I have one too. Not the normal family, but I have Emily. I haven't had the best life, but to have her as the result…" I remembered when I was at Jakes and going into labor, he was freaking out the whole time as he drove me to the hospital. He never left my side, it was as if he was the dad. "Anyway, I'm assuming you have a sister? That was who you were with tonight right?"

"You're observant, or you are just in love with me and are stalking me," Edward laughed then grew serious. "Yes, I do have a sister, two actually. Alice was who I was with tonight, she just turned 17 and has her first boyfriend. My older sister, Rose, is 25 and runs her own business in New York. She's engaged to this guy that we hardly ever see."

"So, everyone in your family is successful?" Edward gave a small nod as he finally made a turn onto a dirt road. It made me kind of anxious, I had been through enough and hadn't thought this through when I agreed to go somewhere in the middle of the woods with this guy I hardly knew. "You're not some… serial killer are you?"

Edward gave a hearty laugh, "You are just now worrying about that?"

"Stupid, huh?"

"Naïve is more like it. But, no, I'm not a serial killer. Completely legit rich boy wanting to help the poor." Now I was the one to give a laugh, he was the most real person I had met in a long time.

When we finally pulled up to the 'small' cabin, my mouth hung open. We pulled up to a two story rustic cabin. "I thought you said this was a small cabin?"

Edward gave me a look and smiled as we got out of the car. "Trust me, compared to some of the cabins out there, this one is small. It has two bedrooms on the bottom floor, and a loft with another bed. The loft was originally meant as a game room, which we still used it for too, but I also slept up there. It's a great place, you'll both be safe and happy here."

I still wasn't convinced. I wanted to turn back, go back to my small home in Forks where Mike could come in anytime. No, this was the best option. I got Emily out of her car seat and began walking in, she was beginning to wake up a little, I had to get her in bed before she was too awake. "Where can I put Emily down?"

"Right this way," Edward said with a smug look. He knew he was winning this battle unfortunately. The inside was even more beautiful, there was a fireplace right under the TV. I had to admit that I couldn't wait to sit in front of that. "Here, there's a bedroom right in here."

"Thanks," I said and quickly put Emily down. "Alright, baby, now we are safe for the night and I want you to get some sleep. I'll be in here in a minute to sleep too."

"Mommy, can Edward stay?"

"No, he has to go back to his home. Go to sleep," I said placing a kiss on her forehead before walking out of the room. Edward was peeking in the cabinets when I returned, not looking for anything , he seemed to be reminiscing. "Edward, I will gladly stay here tonight. But, I can't accept this."

"Why?"

"You told me this was a small cabin, I was thinking a one room cabin. Ya know, the kind where the stove is feet away from the bed. This is just too much, you can't just offer this up without your family knowing. They're going to wonder why the electric bill is suddenly being sent."

"It comes out automatically, they never check it. They won't even know," he said walking closer to me. "Look, Bella, this is just temporary. Think of it as a haven until you move onto somewhere safer. No one will know you're here, Mike won't know you're here. I'll bring you groceries, I'll baby sit Emily when you have to work. Please, accept this, if not for me then for Emily."

Taking a deep breath, I looked around the building, it must have been nice to be able to vacation here as a child. Having that for only a little bit would be nice. "Fine, but I'll pay you a rental fee."

"No, now when do you work next?" Edward asked grabbing his coat and heading for the door.

"Tomorrow night, I have to be there at 5 to close."

"Well, I will bring pizza for me and Emily, you can take my car and I will watch Emily while you work." Edward looked around the room before landing his eyes on me, "Now, there is some food in the cabinets if you're hungry. Not much right now, it's popcorn, ramen noodles, the microwaveable stuff. I'll bring some other food tomorrow. Have a good night."

Without a thought, I ran and wrapped my arms around him, surprising both of us. "Thank you, thank you for this."

"You're welcome," he said planting a kiss on the top of my head. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I stood outside for a few minutes before the sounds of the wild animals gave me a chill. The coyotes began to howl, owls began to hoot, they were noises that I wasn't familiar with. When I was back inside, I triple checked the door was locked before joining Emily in bed. I pulled her close to me and thanked God for people in this world like Edward.

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A/N: I was hoping to update sooner, but I got called in to work the past two days so didn't have a chance to write. Guys, I love my new job! I work in a vet clinic now, it's so much fun and something is always happening! Like yesterday, I got to stand in on an emergency c-section on a dog, only one puppy survived unfortunately but the owners were insanely stupid. That puppy is adorable though and I'm excited to see it grow! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing, characters belong to Stephenie Meyers.

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Chapter 6

E POV

With Alice's help, I had acquired some clothes and food for Bella and Emily. I had also bought Bella a simple cell phone, the kind that could be bought for very little at Wal-Mart. That had also meant that I had to confide in Alice about where Bella was staying. Alice...Well, she voiced her concerns.

"What if this is just a ploy? You just spent how much on her? You don't even know her!"

"Alice, trust me, I wouldn't be doing this if I thought she was using me," I said and placed my attention back on the road, she was insistent on meeting Bella and Emily. "Al, you gotta trust your big brother."

I could feel the classic Alice eyebrow raise, it was something that she had perfected from watching Rose too much. "Trust you? Need I remind you about Jane?"

"Why is everyone bringing her up lately? She was my first girlfriend, yes she was crazy but I was 15."

"Okay, you're 22 now. Use your head, I don't want you or our family to get hurt."

"When you meet her, you will see that she's not using me, okay?" Alice nodded and quickly went back to her phone. "Texting Jasper?"

"Edward… Please, you haven't even given him a chance, he's a nice guy," Alice began defending him immediately.

"Tell me about him," I said which surprised her a little bit. She went into detail how he was an A+ student, plus he was on the football team. The way she talked about him, I could see how enamored she was by him, it concerned me, I didn't want to see my sister get hurt. She was in the middle of a sentence when she went dead quiet. We had arrived at the cabin, she could see Bella in the window with a spatula in hand, dancing around the room.

"Ed, I hope you're right," she said giving me a look. I took a deep breath and readied myself for this meeting.

B POV

I saw the familiar car pulling up the drive and couldn't help the butterflies that I felt in my stomach. This nice guy was helping me and it had had an effect on me, I wasn't blind, I could notice how attractive he was. The butterflies intensified when I saw his sister step out of the passenger side. What was she doing here? I put the spatula down and went to the door, fixing my bed head I waited for them to come in. Was I supposed to open the door? I barely knew him and I didn't know her at all, how was I supposed to greet them? Would they knock or walk right in? A few seconds passed before a knock on the door.

"This is our cabin," I heard his sister say, I didn't hear his reply but I opened the door. His sister ran her eyes over me before scoffing. "She's pretty, you aren't thinking."

"Alice," Edward said through gritted teeth as his sister, Alice, breezed right past me. Edward gave me an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, she's not like this normally."

"I'm Alice, obviously, he said my name. I came here to see who you were and what you are thinking."

My mouth must have been hanging open for a few minutes before I could finally answer, I threw a look to Edward as I answered. "Excuse me?"

"Alice, stop it," Edward said coming to my defense. "I told you to trust me."

"Ed, go out and get the rest of the groceries…" Alice began but was cut off by the sound of a door opening. Someone was up from their nap. Alice's head turned slowly, eyes connecting with Edward's, when she caught sight of Emily. "You have a daughter?"

"Alice…"

"I do, I do have a daughter," I said walking over to Emily and picking her up. "She is three years old."

"You're how old?"

"I'm 19," I said not taking my eyes off Emily, she laid her head on my shoulder and looked content. "I had her when I was 16."

"I can do the math," Alice said then looked at Edward. "Why don't you go get the stuff out of the car?"

"Why don't you come with me?" Edward asked, it was obvious he was growing annoyed with his sister's behavior.

"I want to talk to Bella." Edward shot me another apologetic look but walked out anyway. Alice and I both made our way to the couch, Emily was beginning to stir so I gave her a crayon and some paper. "So, I'm going to be honest. I don't want my brother getting hurt. If you are using him in anyway, you will regret it. I'm younger than you, yes, but he is my brother… Understand?"

I gave her a small smile; her behavior was understandable. It was obvious that Alice adored her brother, she respected and looked up to him. "I understand, Alice. I have a friend, I used to live by him before Edward brought me here. I would act the exact same way, he was the closest thing to family I had."

"Why aren't you with him? Why isn't he helping you out?"

"Jake has a future ahead of him, I can't let him stay here for me." I looked down at Emily, "You're wondering how I could be so irresponsible as to have a child at 16, am I right?"

Alice looked embarrassed, "I wasn't. I just… Why not get help from someone you know rather than a stranger who happens to be the son of the man who owns the hospital?"

"I didn't ask for his help, I haven't asked for help since I was 10. My parents overdosed when I was 10, the police came and my aunt came. Maybe if she had stuck around things would have been different. She took off as soon as the police finished their investigation." I had never told anyone my whole story, yet I was opening to this girl, why? Maybe because I admired the way she had stood up to me. "Anyway, she would drop by every now and then to see if I was still alive. Jake noticed and did his best to make sure I was okay. When I was fifteen, I met Mike. Mike was 17 at the time and I thought he was going to take care of me. I thought…"

Alice interrupted me and I saw the regret in her eyes. "Please, you don't have to keep going."

"You really don't," Edward's voice joined us, I hadn't even heard him come back inside. Looking at him now, his fists were clenched so tight by his side that it scared me. He shook his head and motioned to the bags on the counter. "I wasn't sure what size Emily was, but I got both of y'all some clothes with the help of Alice. I also bought some food and drinks for the fridge. Here are my keys, you need to get to work don't you?"

"I do," I said with a nod, looking at Alice I gave her some explanation. "I work at the diner, I have to go in and close tonight. Edward is kind enough to let me use his car and he agreed to watch Emily while I work."

"That's my brother, just the Prince Charming," Alice said with a smirk. "Hey, Edward, I like this girl so keep doing what you're doing."

"You said you're younger than me, how old are you?"

"17, I'm about to be a junior in high school."

"Wow. You must be excited that summer break is coming up right?"

"You have no idea!" Alice then looked as if she had just thought about something. "Um… Ed, you know we come up here for the fourth of July. You have to come clean to mom and dad about this, you know they'll help."

"It's only May, Al, there's still almost a month before the fourth of July. It'll be fine," Edward said then shot me another look. "You need to go, here I'll walk you out."

"What about Alice? Does she need a ride home?" I asked giving her a look. "I can at least give you a ride to a friend's house or something."

"I'm happy to stay and watch Emily," Alice said giving my daughter a smile and running her hand down her brown hair. "I can help her try on all her new clothes! We'll do a fashion show!"

"I'll stay and make sure she doesn't get too crazy," Edward laughed pushing me out the door and walking me to the Lincoln. "You have a spare uniform at work?"

"I do. We always keep a spare uniform there. Weird, but it comes in handy."

"I'm sorry that Alice put you through that rigorous interview session, she's a good person but…"

"Hey, I get it, you're her brother. She loves you, she wants to make sure that I'm not robbing you of your money." I got in the car and turned on the engine. "By the way, I intend to pay you back for all you just bought me."

"I won't accept it," Edward told me with a smile. "Now, go, have a good night. What time do you think you'll be back?"

"Around 10:30? We close at 9, it takes a little bit to close everything though. I will be back as soon as possible though," I reassured him. "I have to go, I will see you tonight. Thank you again."

"Of course, drive safe," Edward called as I began backing out of the drive. I had just begun to trust two more people in my life, that had to be a record for me.

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A/N: I am so sorry for taking over a week to update. I had this document opened on word for three days, staring at trying to come up with some new chapter to present to y'all. I had 600 words written, I went in the next morning to finish it and all 600 words had been deleted. I'm not sure what happened with that, if I forgot to save it or what, but this is much better than the 600 words I had written. So! I hope y'all enjoyed it! For those who don't know, I have a Facebook group! I'm about to start on a journey of vlogging! I've been posting that I'm going to upload the first video, but I'm so incredibly nervous about it that I haven't. It's very vulnerable what I'm doing, I'm opening myself to y'all and letting y'all into my personal life. So, as soon as I get the nerve up, I will post a video of me reacting to my old writing. In the one I have recorded, I read part of Just a Dream. Anyway, this is a long A/N, so I'm signing out and hoping to wake up to lovely reviews! Bye!

Facebook Group: Mrs. DamonS Fanfictions


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing, characters belong to Stephenie Meyers.

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Chapter 7

B POV

"How's Emily?" Sam asked as I finished wiping down the last table.

"She's fine, she's better." I told him with a smile as I took off my apron, "I'm going to go ahead and head out. Have a good night Sam!"

"Bella, wait, I'd like to speak with you before you leave," Sam said giving me the motion to sit down. I hadn't done anything wrong, I had shown up to work as I was supposed to and was always early. I couldn't be getting fired, right? "You're an exceptional worker, I need to take some time off. Emily has some friends down in Florida. She wants to go visit them before we get married."

"I didn't know you were engaged, congratulations sir," I said with a smile. This was going well.

"Thank you. Anyway, I was wanting to see if you were interested in taking over for me while I'm gone. It would mean longer hours, you would have to be here early in the morning a couple of times. I know you have Emily to think of, but I would really love to give you this opportunity." I didn't even know how to respond, I simply nodded and asked if I was able to go.

I could barely get the key in the ignition my hands were shaking so bad. How had this happened? Was Edward my fairy godmother? Well, godfather, wait no that makes him sound like a mobster. We'll stick with him being my godmother. Okay, this good-looking guy comes into my life and suddenly good things start happening? A tap on the window made me jump out of my skin, seeing who it was I locked the doors and didn't bother rolling down the window. I know that would make Mike mad but I truly didn't even care now. I was happy and no one was going to ruin that for me, not even Mike.

When I pulled up to the cabin it was nearly 11 PM, I was a little later than planned but I hadn't expected to have a talk with my boss. As I got out of the car, I stared down the dirt road, searching for headlights and praying Mike hadn't followed me. After a few minutes, I saw it was safe and walked inside to the purest thing I had seen in a long time: Edward with Emily curled up next to him fast asleep.

"They've been like that for an hour now, well Edward just fell asleep not long ago." Alice told me startling me a little.

"I'm sorry I'm late, my boss asked to speak with me before I left." I sighed as I rubbed my forehead, this had been a long day full of irritating customers, I was glad to be in a safe place for the night. I looked back at Emily and Edward and chuckled, "Ya know, she's never been like this with anyone. She's only known him a day."

"Edward can have that effect on people," I turned to her and saw her drying her hands on a towel. "Anyway, I already texted our parents, I said we were staying at a friend's house. So, I'm going to head to bed, I'm sure you're tired as well."

"Night Alice" I told her and watched her walk off to the room across from mine. I contemplated waking Emily up and getting her into the bed, but she looked so content next to Edward that I let her be. Walking into my bedroom, I saw a new set of pajamas laying on the bed, he had really bought us clothes. I couldn't help the smile that came onto my face when I fingered the new set of sleep wear, I knew I could never pay him back for all he was doing for me, but I would sure try. Without any more hesitation, I took the PJ's into the bathroom and changed. The top was a gray tank top with a pink heart in the middle, the pants were black and pink checkered.

Walking out, I was a bit startled to see Edward up and putting Emily in bed. "Hey, I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, you're fine. I was just bringing her in here, probably more comfortable than my side," Edward whispered, miraculously Emily was still sound asleep. As if he knew what I was thinking, he continued: "I have a younger sister, I put Alice to bed a few times when we were little."

"Thank you for the pajamas, you really didn't have to."

"I'm glad they fit, I figured you were around the same size as Alice. They look good on you." Edward rubbed the back of his head and gave a small smile. I felt the rush of red on my cheeks. Edward must have realized what he said as I noticed his eyes go wide. "Um… Well, you should go to sleep. I'm making omelettes in the morning."

"He cooks too?" I teased sitting down on the bed. "Your girlfriend must realize she found the jackpot with you, right?"

"I don't have a girlfriend," Edward said simply before walking out of the room. That hadn't been awkward at all.

-0-0-0-

"Mommy! Mommy!" I groaned as I felt the familiar feeling of little hands pressing into my shoulder. "Mommy! Wake up!"

"Woah, Em, why don't you let your mom sleep?" I heard Edward say.

"I'm up," I groaned, my arm thrown over my eyes. I lifted it just a bit to see Edward holding Emily. "What time is it?"

"Nearly 11 AM. She's been up since 7."

"She didn't wake you, did she?" I asked sitting up and rubbing my eyes. I'm sure my hair was a mess, I probably had stuff around my eyes.

"I mean, she did, but it's fine. I took Alice back home, went and got some doughnuts. Emily had a blast riding with me."

"Doughnuts? What happened to omelettes?"

"Who says you can't have both?" Edward asked as he walked out of the room. I gave a small chuckle as I looked in the closet to see an overwhelming amount of clothes. I fingered each shirt, each dress, each item of clothing. I had never had so many clothes in my life, it was an odd feeling. Finally settling on a yellow sundress, I fixed my make-up, and simply brushed my hair. I walked out to find Edward and Emily in a deep debate about doughnuts, apparently arguing which flavor was better. Edward caught sight of me, I had never felt so self-conscious as I did under his gaze. "What kind of doughnut would you like ma'am?"

"I'll stick with just an omelette," I said shaking my head as he plated an omelet. "What does it have in it?"

Edward cleared his throat, threw his towel over his shoulder and looked at me with a straight face. "In front of you, you'll find an omelette with green onions, red bell peppers, ham, and cheese."

"Are you acting like I'm a judge?" I asked as I took a bite, Edward nodded with a smirk. "You're a dork."

"All kidding aside, how was work last night?" Edward asked taking a seat next to me.

"Um… I wanted to talk to you about that. My boss offered to train me to take his place while he goes on vacation. It would mean longer hours, I might have to go in and open the store. I know you're busy and you have a life, I have no right to throw this on you with how much you have helped me already."

"Bella, stop," Edward said placing his hand on mine. "You would be insane to pass this up. I'll help you anyway I can. Alice is almost out, she would love to spend the night here and watch Emily while you work."

"What about your parents? They're going to wonder who their daughter is spending so much time with." I looked down at my food. "Maybe Alice is right, maybe you should just tell them you're helping me. Would it be that bad?"

"It's up to you Bella, if you want me to tell them then I will. Okay?" I nodded and went back to eating my food.

"How do you not have a girlfriend? This is amazing!"

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A/N: Early update! What did y'all think? My first video will be coming out tomorrow or Saturday! Make sure you're a part of my Facebook group to see it!

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	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing, characters belong to Stephenie Meyers.

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Chapter 8

As the weeks passed, the three of us had fallen into this weird routine. I began training to take Sam's position while he went on vacation, Alice finished the school year and began spending more time at the cabin with us. Edward, well, he basically lived at the cabin. I hated that he was spending so much time with us, I knew he had a life before he met me, but he always reassured me that he couldn't think of anything else he would rather do.

"I think… it's time to tell your parents about me staying here. I know it's been almost a month…"

"Yeah, and you said you were only going to stay for a day," Edward laughed pausing the movie we had been watching. This was one of the rare moments that I forgot every problem I had lived through, Emily was fast asleep for her nap, Alice was at home, no doubt packing for a weekend here. Edward and I were sitting on the couch watching Netflix. "I will gladly tell them, if you want me to."

"I do," I said giving him a smile. "I want them to know how great of a son they have."

"They already know," Edward smirked.

"How come you don't work at the hospital with your dad? I mean, I kind of get the idea that it's something he wants for you."

"He does," Edward agreed leaning forward. "I have actually started talking with him about going into the medical field, but in a different way."

"How?"

"I want to be a paramedic. Maybe that's why I haven't gone to work at the hospital, because I want to do that. I've wanted to since I was in high school."

"You're, what? 24?" Edward looked shocked as he sat back, as well as a little hurt.

"I'm 22, thank you very much."

"Okay, so have you already gone to school for it?"

"Nope, planning to start enrolling in some classes." I nodded and looked down at my hands. Edward had a plan, he had a future planned, something he wanted to do. I wasn't sure what I would be doing for the rest of my life. Edward must have picked up on my thoughts, he put a finger under my chin and forced me to look at him. "Hey, you'll figure something out. You won't work at the diner for your whole life. When you were little what did you dream of doing?"

That was a question that I hadn't been asked in a long time, I wasn't sure I could even remember. "Honestly, I don't know. You already know my life has never been easy, I mean, you heard me telling Alice when I first met her. I guess… I guess I always dreamed of living in California or New York. Somewhere big, somewhere I could blend in easily. But now, I have Emily and I just want somewhere I can take her and give her the childhood I never had."

"You already are, I bet you are doing better for her than your parents ever did for you." I nodded in agreement, I was doing better for her already. "How did your parents die?"

"They overdosed when I was 10, I guess you weren't back in yet when I told Alice that. But, yeah, they overdosed… I always wonder if it was on purpose. They should never have been parents, my mom and dad met when they were in high school. She got pregnant when she was 15, like mother like daughter huh? Anyway, they had me but often left me on my own to go party or something. I had parents until I was 10, but I've learned to be on my own for a long time."

"That day in the park… You were how old?"

I turned to face him a little better. "So that was me, I thought so. Anyway, I was 5. My mom left me there to go meet her drug dealer. She came back after a few hours, but multiple people stopped to see if I was lost."

"I'm surprised no one called the cops," Edward observed. "Okay, I'm not going to push you. But, Mike… What's the story with him? You told Alice that you thought he loved you?"

"I did. I thought that he was the one, ya know all that stupid corny romantic stuff. Anyway, when I was 15, we went to a party because he had convinced me that I needed one night and I agreed. I mean, it made sense, I did need one night to act like a teenager and be a stupid girl, you know?" Edward nodded, I could see he was having problems hearing this, but it felt good to tell him. It was basically the only thing he didn't know about me. We had opened to each other more and more as the days passed, but he never pushed me to talk about Mike. "Anyway, I'm sure you can figure out what happened. It wasn't consensual. But, his dad is chief of police, I went in to report it after Jake found out. His dad laughed in my face and told me his son would never do that; that Mike knew how to treat a woman. A few months later, his wife left, it was the big news of the town."

"I remember. I never put two and two together about Mike and his dad. There has to be some way to get justice."

"I haven't found a way yet," I said taking a deep breath. "Hey, enough about me and my horrible past. What made you want to be a paramedic?"

"My best friend, Tanya, she was the girl I was with at the store." I nodded. "We were in a car accident when we were 17, I was driving and didn't see a car pulling out. He hit us right on her side, she was hurt worse than I was mainly because she had just taken off her seatbelt. It's a miracle that she didn't get thrown out, but anyway I immediately started trying to help her. After I saw how they helped her, I knew I wanted to do that." Edward looked like he was about to say something else when his phone chimed that he had received a new message. Taking a deep breath, he chuckled after reading it. "Alice is ready to come. I better go get her or else she'll start texting me nonstop."

"I like her, she's a nice girl. You should be nicer to her," I teased.

"Very funny. I'll be back in a bit," he said getting up. I don't know if he even thought about it, but as he got up he gave me a quick kiss and walked out before I could say anything. Did he like me?

-0-0-0-

"Mommy!" I put the book down that I had been reading and smiled. Edward had been gone for about thirty minutes and Emily was already up. Running out of the room, she stopped and looked around. "Where's Edward?"

"He had to go get Alice, he'll be back," I said right as I heard a car pulling up. Looking down at Emily I smirked, "I bet that's him right now."

"Edward!" Emily yelled running and immediately threw open the door. It wasn't a black Lincoln pulling up. It was a banged-up ford truck pulling up.

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A/N: I know, this is kind of a filler chapter but it really sets up for the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!

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	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing, characters belong to Stephenie Meyers.

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Chapter 9

E POV

As I pulled up to the house to pick up Alice, she was already on the porch but she was sitting down. When she saw me pull up, she ran to my car and began apologizing. "I'm so sorry, Edward! Please don't be mad!"

"Alice," I put my hands on both of her shoulders to try and calm her down, "Alice, breathe, what's wrong?"

"Mom found out…" I didn't hear what she said after, she had probably continued apologizing. I ran into the house to see Tanya and Esme on the couch, whispering to each other as they watched a television show.

"Edward, what is this I hear about some girl staying at our cabin?" Esme asked turning to face me as I walked in.

"Is that girl that we met at the store? I knew she was bad news!"

"Okay, you both need to calm down. I have been paying for everything-"

"Edward, son, you have a good heart. But, if you are paying for everything… It sounds like this girl is using you."

"Mom, that's not what I meant. I meant that I'm paying for electricity. Bella has a job, Alice and I watch her daughter while she's at work. She's paying me to get groceries, she's also saving up to get her own home." I was hoping my argument was strong enough to hold Esme off. When she didn't say anything, I took a deep breath and continued. "At least, come with me and meet her. Mom, she's a nice girl, she's the little girl that I shared my ice cream with on the bench when I was 8. Please, come meet her."

"Mrs. Cullen…" Tanya began turning up the television until she caught our attention. Did it ever catch my attention.

"We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you news of a fire on the west side of Forks, WA. The fire looks to have started at a cabin and has since begun to spread, firefighters are arriving on scene now to begin putting the flames out…"

"Edward!" Esme called but I was already on my way to my car.

"Edward, what's wrong?" Alice asked, jumping into the car without even knowing what had happened. "Edward, what happened? Talk to me!"

"The cabin is on fire." Alice began ranting off questions, asking if Bella and Emily were okay, what had happened. I didn't answer her, I knew that infuriated her as she went silent after a few minutes.

When we pulled up to the cabin, there was a crowd of people already looking on to see what had happened. Firefighters were working hard to put the fire out, they were doing a good job. Jumping out of my car, I began scanning the crowd to find sight of Bella.

"Edward! She's over here!" Alice called, pointing a fireman out to me I could clearly make out Bella's small figure holding Emily and talking to the man. Walking over to her, I put my hands on her shoulder, she jumped a little but calmed down when she saw me.

"Edward! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen! Your cabin is ruined!" She cried, she set Emily down next to us so I could give her a hug.

"What happened?"

"Mike, Mike came and we got into an argument. I don't know how the fire started, I didn't see. But… The good news out of all of this is Mike is in police custody. He's gone." Bella looked so happy as she spoke of Mike's arrest.

"Sir, was this your cabin?" The fireman finally asked.

"Yes, well it's under the name of my parents. Carlisle and Esme Cullen," I told him, I was becoming very aware of the fact that my arm was around Bella's shoulder.

"I'm Esme," I turned and saw Tanya and my mom standing behind us. "I'll speak with you in just a minute sir."

"Mom," I began but she held her hand up and began looking Bella and Emily up and down.

"You must be the girl that was staying here," Bella nodded meekly as Esme took a deep breath. "Well, you can't sleep here. Edward, take her home and get her and her daughter set up in Alice's room."

"It'll be like a slumber party!" Alice jumped in, picking Emily up she smiled. "We are going to have so much fun!"

"Alice, she has a bed time," Bella said shaking her head a little bit. She turned to Esme and gave her a small smile. "I'm so sorry about your cabin. I shouldn't have been here. You have a really great son, he helped me out a lot."

"I know," Esme said giving her a smile in return. "Why don't you go on with Alice and Edward. I'll be there shortly."

As the girls walked off, I stayed behind to give my mom a hug. "Thank you. She doesn't have anyone in her corner."

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A/N: Okay… Excuses for not updating sooner, let's see… I've been working, I just haven't brought myself to write this chapter… I don't know, anyway! I finally got a chapter out and I know it's short, sorry for that guys. I hope y'all enjoyed it, leave a review!

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